Prepositions and Prepositional Phrases

Preposition List

Prepositions A preposition relates the noun or pronoun following it to another word in the sentence. A preposition relates the noun or pronoun following it to another word in the sentence. The choice of preposition affects the way the other words in a sentence relate to each other. In the following example, read the sentence using each preposition in turn. Notice how each preposition changes the relationship between played and gym. near near The girls played opposite the gym. in back of in back of Using your list of prepositions, circle the prepositions in these sentences 1. The brave knight carried the princess through the castle door. 2. There were so many people that Jessica had to park her car behind the building. 3. Mrs. Creighton wanted to talk to her students, but they were unable to keep their voices quiet during class.

Compound Prepositions According toBy means ofInstead of Ahead ofIn addition toIn view of Apart fromIn back ofNext to Aside fromIn front ofOn account of As ofIn place ofOn top of Because ofIn spite ofOut of The girls played ________ the gym.

Let’s Try …Find the Compound Prepositions 1. According to archaeologists, kicking games were played in many ancient societies. 2. However, the modern game of soccer was developed in England in the nineteenth century, in addition to other kicking games developed there. 3. In rugby football, the athlete controls the ball by means of handling and carrying; however, association football forbids the use of hands.

Prepositional Phrases A preposition must always be followed by a noun or pronoun. The group of words beginning with the preposition and ending with the noun or pronoun is called a prepositional phrase. The noun or pronoun that follows the preposition is called the object of the preposition. Notice that when identifying the object of a preposition, you do not include any modifiers of the noun or pronoun. The package under the sink is mine. The ball near the tree is Ellie’s.

Warning Be careful not to confuse a prepositional phrase that begins with to (to town, to her club) with an infinitive that begins with to (to run, to be seen). Remember: A prepositional phrase has a noun or a pronoun as an object. Prep.Phrase: She should have gone to the office when she had the time. Infinitive: The boy cut in line to view the gold coin.

Write the prepositional phrase or phrases in each sentence, and underline the object of each preposition. 1. The Football Association Cup, a soccer tournament, was first organized in The tournament, which is still played today, finishes at Wembley Stadium in London with the annual Cup Final. 3. After its organization, soccer spread rapidly through England. 4. Around 1888, regular league play began in many areas of the country. 5. In 1872, the first international game took place at Glasgow between all-star teams from England and Scotland.

Distinguishing Between Adverbs and Prepositions Some words can be either prepositions or adverbs, depend on how they are used in a sentence. To be a preposition, a word must have an object and be part of a prepositional phrase. An adverb modifies a verb and has no object. Preposition: The ball flew past third base. Adverb: The umpire ran past quickly. Preposition: They sat inside the dugout. Adverb: Please come inside soon.

Distinguishing Between Adverbs and Prepositions A single word acting as an adverb answers where, when, how or to what degree about the verb. If you want to see the eclipse, you will need to go outside. OUTSIDE tells you where YOU WILL NEED TO GO. OUTSIDE tells you where YOU WILL NEED TO GO. NOTE: Without an object OUTSIDE is an adverb. NOTE: Without an object OUTSIDE is an adverb. When the same word is a preposition, the entire prepositional phrase acts as an adverb modifying the verb. Dorothy colors outside the lines. NOTE: LINES is the object of the preposition. NOTE: LINES is the object of the preposition. adverb preposition

Distinguishing Between Adverbs and Prepositions To determine whether a word is an adverb or a preposition, look at what follows the word. Is there a noun acting as an object of the word? In other words, is there a word that answers the question WHAT? about the word. It will be some time before his schedule settles down. It will be some time before his schedule settles down. DOWN tells the reader WHERE the schedule settles. There is no object following it. DOWN tells the reader WHERE the schedule settles. There is no object following it. Please sit down and listen. Please sit down and listen. DOWN tells the listener WHERE to SIT. There is no object telling him or her WHAT to SIT DOWN. DOWN tells the listener WHERE to SIT. There is no object telling him or her WHAT to SIT DOWN. One need only look down the roster to see the impact of so much travel. One need only look down the roster to see the impact of so much travel. ROSTER answers the question WHAT? about the word DOWN. One need only look down what? THE ROSTER. ROSTER is the object of the preposition DOWN. ROSTER answers the question WHAT? about the word DOWN. One need only look down what? THE ROSTER. ROSTER is the object of the preposition DOWN.

Identify the prepositions, adverbs, and infinitives. 1. In modern baseball, an umpire stands behind home plate. A single strikeout can cause one team to win a game or to fall behind. 2. At a night game, the lights are turned on. The pitcher stands on the mound. 3. The players warm up before the game. They’ve practiced the skills many time before. 4. Through popular legend, Abner Doubleday invented baseball. However, those doubting the claim find it quite easy to see through. 5. Most scholars believe that a variety of similar games over time eventually gave rise to baseball. They believe these games carried over from other cultures.